December 4th - Reflection

Second Sunday of Advent
Mark 1:1-8 (NRSV)
John appears from the wilderness
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
"See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,' "
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Reflection
Just take a few verses from Mark and it seems like there is the story of salvation for all people. Almost like the entire story of faith in eight verses.

We start with the beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus always was. I'm amazed at the thought that God had planned our salvation before we were created and Jesus was present. So many thoughts and images of the Bible can float through one's mind at this point I become baffled by my ignorance.

Here we have this Good News starting in the wilderness with a man name John. A sinful man called by God to announce Jesus. How great is that! A man in the wilderness takes me back to the Old Testament and a sinful murderer named Moses in the wilderness called by God to announce to one of the most powerful governments in the world at that time, that God's people desired to go to the wilderness to worship their God.

It seems we meet and form relationships in the wilderness. That's certainly true for me too. When I'm lost in the wilderness of life, I look for God. I discover I can't save myself no matter how hard I try. I need God! That's all there is to it. In all of these wilderness examples, people are in a setting where they draw near to God.

Now weave in the thoughts of baptism. Young, old or whatever age you may be, in your spiritual life, you are in the wilderness. Infant, adult, youth or aged; right before baptism you are in the wilderness of the world, you are in the wilderness of sin, you are in the wilderness of wild living, your are in the wilderness of past and present transgressions. Spiritually you are in the wilderness of being lost in sin to the point that you could never get out of this wilderness without God.

The Greek word for repentance is "metanoia" which originally means a change of mind. But in the New Testament, repentance, takes on a deeper meaning of a deliberate coming to one's senses, resulting in a change of conduct.

In baptism, through repentance, the result is a change of conduct. It's a new beginning. It's another wilderness experience. In the wilderness of sin that we all wander in, through baptism, our conduct changes. We are baptized and become Children of God. Our conduct changes. We live in the wilderness yet we are not permanent residents of the wilderness. There is a Promised Land in sight. Through the gifts of the Holy Spirit we grow in faith and begin that deep relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We hear the announcement of John the Baptist and know of the coming of Jesus. Jesus and the Holy Spirit with God the Father will lead us out of the wilderness as we begin mini new Gospel announcements on our own journey in the wilderness with John the Baptist, announcing to all those God gives to us..."The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." All in the wilderness...all leading to the Promised Land. Thanks be to God!

Prayer
Lord, how deep and awesome are Your Words to me this day. Gospel---Repentance---Wilderness---Baptism---Promised Land---Jesus---Holy Spirit---Father. Increase my faith day to day. Complete my wilderness cry to all you give to me that, in the wilderness, they too may repent and be baptized and take on a change of conduct and deep relationship with you. Come, Lord Jesus, come! --- Amen